


The New Iron Horse

by randi2204



Series: Steampunk!Seven [8]
Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-22
Updated: 2012-02-22
Packaged: 2017-10-31 13:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/344722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randi2204/pseuds/randi2204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris often dreads what happens when Josiah's hard at work.  He's not sure if this is an exception or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Iron Horse

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The boys belong to MGM, Mirisch and Trilogy.

 “Chris! Vin!” From where he stood at the far end of the church, Josiah waved them over.

 

“Josiah,” Chris greeted evenly.  He hadn’t wanted to know what the preacher-man was working on.  If he didn’t know, he couldn’t be forced to take responsibility when it blew up, as things Josiah tinkered with so often did.  JD had insisted that it wasn’t anything bad this time.  He still dreaded seeing the list of Property Damaged or Destroyed that Mary published each week in the _Clarion_.

 

Nothing had exploded for the last few weeks – well, nothing _serious_ , anyway. 

 

Still, the townsfolk had developed quicker reflexes than Chris had ever given them credit for, and they knew enough now to stay indoors as much as they could when Josiah was working.

 

At least it seemed that Josiah had forgiven Vin for walking off with that gun he’d been working on.  Chris wasn’t quite so sure that Vin had forgiven Josiah for getting drenched in the foul-smelling liquid Josiah had used in the trap to retrieve said gun.  Whatever it had been, the stench had lingered for days, and Vin had been forced to take three baths.

 

Now Josiah was smiling broadly.  His goggles hung around his neck, but his face was so grimy from smoke and coal-dust that it was easy to see the outline of where they had rested.  His shirt was equally stained, and his leather apron was filthy.

 

“JD said you were workin’ on somethin’ special,” Chris said when he reached the corner of the church. “Wouldn’t say what it was, though.”

 

Vin muttered something under his breath.

 

“Good,” Josiah replied, looking content.  “I wanted you to see it first. C’mon.”  He headed behind the church.

 

The area behind the church was flat and dusty, and now, something made out of metal stood there gleaming grey in the warm morning sun.

 

Chris stopped short while still some distance away. Never could tell when something Josiah had built might bust in spectacular fashion.  The shape of the metal thing – long neck, long rounded body, four sturdy legs – was familiar.  But it didn’t move at all, just stood there, unnaturally still.

 

“That looks like a horse,” Vin said.  He, too, was studying it from a careful distance, and safely behind Chris besides.

 

Chris realized his mouth was hanging open and shut it, but he couldn’t look away from what Josiah had built.  _Can’t be,_ he thought, and his skin crawled at the thought.  _Can’t be a horse…_

 

“It is.”  Josiah sounded so pleased with himself that Chris had to swallow his sudden dislike.  “It’s just the first one – kind of a model, if you will .  I had JD test it this morning, and he was able to get it to move forward and back.  It’s not ready for speed tests yet, but I think that we’ll be able to go faster on this Iron Horse than we can on our own.”

 

“You mean we’re supposed to… ride it?”  Chris wasn’t sure he liked that idea at all.

 

“What if it blows up?” Vin voiced the more practical concern.  “’Specially if we _are_ ridin’ it?”

 

“The small clockwork model didn’t blow up,” Josiah retorted.  Then he looked a little uncomfortable.  “I did have to put a larger steam engine in this one to compensate for the weight of the horse _and_ the rider…”

 

Which, in Josiah-speak, meant that the damn thing would probably blow up if someone looked at it cross-eyed.  Chris fixed Josiah with his darkest glare.  “JD ain’t to ride it until it’s safe,” he ordered.

 

Josiah sighed.  “ _You_ tell him that.”

 

Chris nodded. “I will.” He took one more look at the thing, suppressed a shudder and turned away.  Wasn’t natural that it didn’t stamp like a horse, or move its head or tail or… anything.  But still… “You said it’ll go faster.  How much?”

 

That brought the grin back to Josiah’s face.  “Could be in Purgatorio in less than an hour.”

 

That was _impressive._   Chris boggled for a moment, then nodded.  “Good work.”

 

Josiah’s grin grew impossibly wider.  “Still got some work to do on it,” he said.

 

That was definitely their cue to leave.  Chris had to stretch his legs to keep up with Vin.

 

“Damn, Chris,” Vin said after they rounded the corner of the church.  “Why’d you say that? Now he won’t stop workin’ on the damn thing…”

 

Chris just shrugged.  He was already thinking about the wind in his hair and the ground blurring by.  _Purgatorio in an hour,_ he thought.  That really was something.

 

Maybe Josiah’s tinkering wasn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This one came about because of discussion with [Todesengel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Todesengel/pseuds/Todesengel) in trying to reconcile distances traveled, and how the only way to make sense of getting to Purgatorio/Mexico in the time it took on the show was that the boys were secretly riding robot horses. The idea took root.


End file.
